Electric interlocking system.



W. S. HENRY.

ELECTRIC INTERLOCKING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-12.1912.

Patented May 2, 1916.

WITNESSES: Y J x a,

9 ATTORNEY E STATES WILLIAM S. HENRY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNQR TO GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC INTERLOCKING SYSTEM.

Application filed January 12, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM S. HENRY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Interlocking Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to interlocking systerms, such as are used upon railways to con trol the movable parts of the railway track and the signals governing the movements of trains over the tracks.

The primary object of this invention is to so arrange the circuits employed, that an additional check is placed upon the completion of the so-called indication circuit.

In electric interlocking systems, of the class mentioned, a circuit controller is generally employed attached by means of a mechanical connection to an operating lever, which, by its movement, locks or releases other operating levers in a manner well un derstood by those skilled in the art. In the particular type of interlocking hereafter de scribed and which is well known and thoroughly understood by signal engineers, if the operating lever becomes disconnected from the circuit controller so that the operation of the lever does not cause an operation of the circuit controller, under certain conditions undesirable results may follow. Specifically stated, the operating lever may not be in a position corresponding with the function which it controls. This possibility although very remote, justifies in certain complicated situations, the employment of applicants invention.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, consisting of a single figure.

1, designates a lever or slide, adapted to reciprocate longitudinally upon the guide member 2, having a cam slot 3, by means of which the ordinary tappet bar for actuating mechanical locking and thus controlling other similar levers in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art is operated.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 670,929.

lever 1. A pin 15 fastened to the guide 2 carriesthe dog 16, whose upper end is of such a length that it may at times lie under the end 13 of the latch 12, and is forced into such a position by means of the cam 17, pivoted by pin 18 to the guide 2. The cam 17 has two teeth therein which areadapted to engage with the shoulders 9 and 10 of the lever 1, which thereby causes a rotation of the cam 17 upon its pivot pin 18.

Beneath the lever guide 2 is the indication magnet 19, which is adapted to act upon the armature 21, drawing it upwardly and thereby moving the rod 22 attached thereto, upwardly, so that its upper end may strike the lower arm of the dog 16 and force the upper arm of the dog 16 from beneath the end 13 of the latch 12, if it is at that time thereunder. Beneath the indication magnet 19, is placed what is called the safety magnet 20, which is also adapted to act upon armature 21 preventing its upward movement.

Pin 23 unites ley'er 1 with a rod 24, which carries at its end an insulating cross arm 25, which carriesat either end the metallic contact blocks26 and 27 which are adapted to connect springs 28 and 29 and 30 and 31 together, and when the lever is moved in the direction of the arrow (1. fromits present position, which is known as the normal position to either the reverse indication position or the full reverse position, which terms are well understood by those skilled in the art, to connect springs 32 and 33, and 34c and 35.

36 and 37 designate the coils of an indication selector having the movable armature and conducting member 38 and associated with it, fixed contact strips 39, 4:0 and 41.

All of the parts heretofore described are old and thoroughly well known and understood by those skilled in the art of railway signaling. The lever with its associated cam slot, pawls, dog and cam, indication magnet and safety magnet and circuit controller, are fully shown, described and claimed in the patent to John D. Taylor, No. 752,127, granted February 16, 1901, for a railway switching and signaling apparatus. The indication selector with its associated fixed and movable contacts, is fully shown, described and claimed in a patent granted to John D. Taylor No. 832,175 dated October 2nd, 1906, and entitled Railway switching apparatus. 3 d2 designates a commutator having the metallic strip 43 attached thereto; 44 and 45 designate solenoids; 46 designates the field of a motor whose armature is 47, having brushes 48 and 49; 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57 designate fixed conducting springs, and 58 and 59 designate movable conducting strips. The shaft upon which the armature 47 of the motor is mounted is adapted to be connected in the well known manner to any movable part of the track structure, which it is designed to move from one position to another and back to the first position. All of these last described parts are fully shown, described and claimed in the patent to John D. Taylor, granted September 26th, 1905, No. 800,246, entitled Railway switching appa-ratus.

In carrying out applicants invention, a conducting block 60 is rigidly attached to the lever 1, as shown in this application by a rod 62, which should preferably be short and of substantial construction. It must be understood that applicants illustration is merely diagrammatic and that in practice the conducting block 60 should be connected with the lever, both as closely as possible and as rigidly as possible and the connection should consist of the very fewest parts possible. The conducting block in the position as shown connects the conducting springs 63 and 64', but when the lever is moved to the reverse indication position, or the full reverse position, it connects conducting springs 65 and 66. v

The wire 67 forms part of the indication circuit and in devices heretofore constructed was connected directly to spring 33, but in applicants invention it is connected to spring 66, which, when connected by block 60 with spring 65 by means of wire 68, connects with spring 33; wire 69 has heretofore been connected directly to spring 29, but in applicants invention it is connected to spring 29 through the intermediary of spring 63, block 60, spring 64, and wire 70.

With all of the parts in the position as shown in the figure, the system is at normal, and in order to cause a rotation of the armature 47 of the motor, it is necessary to move the lever 1 in the direction of the arrow a. By exerting a force upon the lever 1 in the direction of the arrow a, the lever will be caused to move and the shoulders thereof contacting with cam 17 and latch 12 will cause the lever to be brought to a stop with the shoulder 9 bearing against the end 13 of the latch 12 and the lever will then be at the reverse indication position with the blocks 26 and 27 connecting springs 32 and 33, and 34 and 35 respectively. Current will then flow from the battery 71 to Wire 72, safety magnet 20, wire 73, wire 74, indication select-or coil 37, wire 75, spring 35, block 27, spring 34, wire 76, wire 77, which is calledthe reverse control and normal indication wire, spring 54, strip 59, spring 55, wire 78, brush 48, armature 47, brush 49, wire 80, spring 56, strip '58,'spring 57, Wires 81 and 82, field coil 46, wires 83, 84 and 85 to the negative terminal of the battery.

Current flowing in the above traced path causes armature 38 to be drawn to the left, and causes the motor armature 47 to revolve and operate the parts to which it may be connected and having finished the movement of said parts in the manner fully shown, described and claimed in the patent to Taylor No. 800,246, above mentioned, causes the strips 58 and 59 to move into contact with the springs 50 and 51 and 52 and 53 respectively and by reason of its acquired momentum, as also fully describedin said patent, to generate a current which flows in the following path: armature 47, brush 48, wire 78, spring 55, wire 86, spring 51, strip 58, spring 50, wires 87 and 82, field 46, Wires 83, 84 and 88, indication magnet 19, wire 89, fixed contact strip 41, movable conductingmember 38, fixed contact strip 40, wire 67, spring 66, block 60, spring 65, Wire 68, spring 33, block 26, spring 32, wire 90, wire 91, which is called'the normal operating and reverse indication wire, spring 53, strip 59, spring 52, wire 92, spring 56, wire 80 and brush 49-to'the other terminal of the winding upon the armature. Current in the above traced path causes the armature 21 to be lifted, carrying with it the rod 22, the upper end of which strikes the lower arm of the dog 16, causes it to revolve upon its pivot 15, thus moving the upper end from beneath the latch 13, allowing the latch to drop out of the way of the shoulder 9 and thus allowing the lever 1 to be moved a little further so as to reach the full reverse position.

It'will be noted that in order to complete the indication circuit, the conductingblock 60 must have movedin correspondence with the lever 1 as the'indication circuit is completedthrough springs 65 and 66. If the lever were moved indepen'dently'of the conducting block 60, no indication could be received, furthermore, if thelever were moved independently of the contact blocks 26 and 27, foreign current, which might have been available for passage through indication magnet 19, could'not have its circuit completed, for, unless the contact blocks 26 and 27 moved in correspondence with the lever, no current would have flowed'through coil 37, to cause member 38to move and connect strips 40 and 41, consequently, the path through indication magnet 19 would not be completed.

When the lever is returned from the reverse position to the normal indication position, blocks and 27 would connect springs 28 and 29 and 30 and '31 respectively, and block 60 would connect springs 63 and 64. Current would flow in the =fol lowing path: positive terminal of battery 71, wire 72, safety magnet 20, wire 73, indication selector 36, spring 31, block 27, spring 30, reverse control wire 91, spring 53, strip 59, spring 52, wires 92 and 80, brush 49, armature 47, brush 48, wires 7 8 and 86, spring 51, strip 58, spring 50, wires 87 and 82, field 46, wires 83, 84 and 85, to the negative terminal of the battery 71. Current thus flowing would cause the motor to rotate in a reverse direction, operating a the function to which it was connected and after having done so, cause strip 58 and 59 to be again moved'into the position as shown in the figure, thus completing the indication circuit. Current would flow in the indication'circuit as follows: armature 47 brush 48, wire 78, spring 55, strip 59, spring 54, wire 77, spring 28, block 26, spring 29, wire 70, spring 64, block 60, spring 6", wire 69, strip 39, movable indicating member 38, strip 41, wire 89, indication magnet 19, wires 88, 84 and 83, field 46, wires 82 and 81,

spring 57, strip 58, spring 56, wire 80 and brush 49, to the armature.

As an example of a false indication, let us assume that a wire carrying current is connected to the wire 83 at a point 93. With all of the parts in the position as shown, before any attempt at operation of the lever takes place, no consideration need be given, but if the rod 24 were disconnected from lever 1 and at such time the lever 1 were moved to the reverse indication position, no indication would be received, whereas, in systems at present in use, the possibility of receiving an indication under such conditions, exists. The current connected at the point 93 has two paths open to it to the negative terminal of the battery, one of which is by means of wires 84 and 85, but if such a large current flows in wires 84 and 85 that a large drop of potential is created in the wires 84 and 85, some current might flow in the following path: point 93, wire 83, field 46, wires 82, and 81, spring 57, strip 58, spring 56, wire 80, brush 49, armature 47, brush 48, wire 78, spring 55, strip 59, spring 54, wire 77, spring 28, block 26, and spring 29. As in systems as heretofore constructed, spring 29 was connected directly to fixed contact39, in such systems, the current could then flow from fixed contact 39, through movable conducting member 38, fixed contact 41, wires 89, indication magnet 19, and wires 88 and 85 to the negative terminal of the battery. Such a flow would cause the armature 21 to be raised and so cause a release of the lever, if it were in the reverse indication position, even when the controller carrying the block 26 was not moved in correspondence with it, but in applicants system, when such a current reaches the spring 29, it then is caused to flow through wire 7 O, to spring 64 and'then, in order to complete its path, must findlever 1 and block in the normal position thereby allowing it to fiow to spring 63 and wire 69 to fixed contact 39 and so to the indication magnet. If the lever has been moved, however, without a movement of the circuit controller and block 26, spring 63 and 64 would not be connected, therefore, no path through the indication magnet would be formed for the foreign current to cause a false indication.

The same advantages will be found to exist if rod 24 becomes disconnected from lever 1, while both the circuit controller and the lever are in the reverse position, for, run der such conditions, if the lever 1 is returned to the normal indication position without moving the circuit controller from the reverse position, any foreign current which fiows to the point 93 and over wire 91, and through springs 32 and 33, would, in order to reach the indication magnet, be obliged to flow through springs and 66, which it could not do if the lever had been returned to the normal indication position, so that in such case it would be impossible to return the lever to the full normal position and thus release the locking controlling conflicting levers, until the circuit controller and the lever had been both moved to the normal indication position.

Having thus explained the principle of my invention and described one specific em bodiment thereof, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a remote controlled device, a device, a movable member, means including a circuit controller connected to move in unison with said movable member to cause the device to change position and indicate such change, said means also including a movable device connected to and movable in unison with said movable member to prevent an indication if said circuit controller is not in a position corresponding to said movable member.

2. In an electric interlocking system, a source of current, a lever, a circuit controller moved in correspondence with the lever, a motor, conducting wires between the circuit controller the source and the motor, means operated by the motor to control the circuit therethrough, an indication circuit, an indication magnet in said circuit, said circuit including both a circuit controller moving in unison with said first mentioned circuit controller and a second circuit controller moved in unison with the lever.

3. In an interlocking system, in combination: a device capable of assuming reverse positions; a movable member capable of assuming reverse positions; means causing the device to assume positions corresponding each to each to positions of the member and controlled by the movement of said member; manually operable means for controlling the movements of said member; means causing an indication upon the completion of a movement of the device from one of its positions to the other and means governed by said manually operable means for preventing said'indication upon an abnormal movement of said member.

4. In an interlocking system, in combination: a device capable of assuming reverse positions; a movable member capable of as suming reverse positions; means causing the device to assume positions corresponding each to each to positions of the member and controlled by the movement of said member; manually operable means for controlling the movements of said member; means causing an indication upon the completion of a, movement of the device from one of its positions to the other and means governed by said manually operable means for preventing said indication unless the member assumes a position corresponding to a position of said manually operable means.

5. In an interlocking system, in combination: a lever; an electrically operable function; indication mechanism for said lever; circuit controlling means governed by said lever; operating circuits for said function and indication circuits for said indication mechanism governed by said circuit controlling means; and means governed by said lever for interrupting said indication circuits When said lever moves independently of said circuit controlling means.

\VILLIAM S. HENRY. lVitnesses:

LILLIAN L. PHILLIPS, MARY G. DALBEY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the. Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G." 

